The United States will require at least 40,000 troops
to ensure its war aims in a post-Saddam Iraq, according to a new report by the Washington-based Heritage Foundation.
The report said that the troops would not help rebuild Iraq but would be required to
ensure that neither President Saddam Hussein nor his supporters would try to
seize power, Middle East Newsline reported.
The United States would require 100,000 troops to topple the Saddam
regime, the report said. A post-Saddam U.S. military presence would require
40,000 U.S. troops. Such a force would need to be bolstered by allied
troops.
"The post-combat U.S. military presence augmented by allied forces
should require roughly 40,000 U.S. troops to destroy the terrorist networks
and cells, eliminate Iraq's WMD arsenal and infrastructure, protect its
energy resources, and block Iranian hegemony in the region," the report
said.
"The post-war military force in Iraq would be tasked primarily with
confronting any remnant elements of Saddam's deposed regime and deterring
other regional powers from exploiting the situation for purposes injurious
to the interests of the United States and its allies."
Authors Baker Spring and Jack Spencer asserted that the U.S. force would
require up to 5,000 special operations troops to locate and destroy Iraqi's
arsenal of weapons of mass destruction. Another 30,000 troops would be
required to be deployed to protect Iraq against neighoring Iran.
Washington must also plan for the deployment of an additional 5,000
troops and another 5,000 allied forces to protect Iraq's energy
infrastructure. Such a force must be capable of turning from a combat to a
police force.
"The U.S. contribution to the post-war effort should include two
divisions, one light and one heavy [armored], with the ability to patrol
Iraq's border with Iran, along with other specialized units for destroying
Iraq's weapons of mass destruction and securing its energy sector," the
report said.
The report said U.S. military planners must maintain any post-war
military presence on securing war aims rather than turn into a peacekeeping
force. Such post-war activities in Iraq should not be subject to what the
report termed "arbitrary deadlines."
"However, the administration should avoid making the U.S. military
presence appear to be indefinite. Specific end goals for the U.S. military
should be established and, once they are achieved, U.S. forces should be
pulled out to enable them to prepare for other contingencies."
